1. Thrombocytopenia in malaria: A red-herring for dengue, delaying the diagnosis of imported malaria
- Author
-
Sumudu Karunaratna, Dewanee Ranaweera, Harshini Vitharana, Prasad Ranaweera, Kamini Mendis, and Deepika Fernando
- Subjects
delayed diagnosis ,dengue ,imported malaria ,thrombocytopaenia ,Infectious and parasitic diseases ,RC109-216 - Abstract
Introduction: Fever and thrombocytopenia, often presenting features of malaria, are also the hallmarks of dengue infections. This study examines the degree and duration of thrombocytopenia in imported malaria infections in Sri Lanka and the extent to which this could provide a false trail in favor of a dengue diagnosis. Methods: The data of all confirmed malaria cases reported in Sri Lanka from 2017 to 2019 were extracted from the national malaria database. These included detailed histories, the time to malaria diagnosis, platelet counts, and in 2019, the trail of diagnostic procedures. Results: Over the 3 years, 158 malaria cases (157 imported and one introduced) were reported. Platelet counts were available in 90.5% (n = 143) of patients among whom 86% (n = 123) showed a thrombocytopenia (
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF